In May 2008, the School of Medicine will discontinue its Health Administration Program, which awards a master of health administration (MHA) degree.
Larry J. Shapiro, M.D., executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, and Stuart B. Boxerman, D.Sc., director of the Health Administration Program, met with students March 5 to announce the closure.
“All full-time students currently enrolled should be able to complete their degree requirements and receive their diplomas by May 2008,” Shapiro told the students. “This news is difficult, I know, but we are committed to ensuring that our students will have the opportunity to complete their graduate degree on time.”
Health Administration is one of the smaller degree-granting programs at the University. About 20 students will remain after the end of the current academic year.
The program has three full-time faculty members and three staff employees. The program’s other faculty members have part-time adjunct appointments, and most of them work in professional positions with local employers.
Although there are more than 70 accredited MHA programs in the country, only four are operated by medical schools. The largest providers of health administration education are business and public health schools. Many of those programs are offered by public universities with lower tuition.
“The program has a proud tradition, and its faculty and staff have worked very hard to sustain it despite its small size, limited space and the trend away from medical school-based programs,” Shapiro said. “Unfortunately, the program is largely dependent on tuition revenues and is unlikely to generate the financial resources needed to move to the next level.”
Boxerman, director of the program since 2001, announced last year his plans to retire in June 2007. Effective July 1, Ronald E. Gribbins, Ph.D., a member of the health administration faculty for 30 years, will serve as program director and guide it through the transition.